< Amish fecal tongs. Three cast-iron pieces and a spring mechanism
prove less can be more. Someone replaced the original spring on these
tongs with a stainless steel unit. I bought these in 1989 on a tong hunt
through northern
Pennsylvania. >

< A set of fecal tongs used by zoos. The tongs in this set are
large, even by zoo standards, and are designed to service elephants,
bears,
and
other such beasts. These would typically be hooked to a chain and winch.
They were sold to me by a cage cleaner in the San Francisco zoo. >

< An assortment of children's fecal tongs. Note the small aperture
range and non-slip rubber grips. Recommended for ages eight and above,
this set was sent to me by a tong fan in Kobe. Japan has of late become
a hotbed of tonging. >

< A double set dating from the seventeenth century. More than one
serious collector has told me this set may have been owned by King James
I, but I don't have the means to prove or disprove that. One of my most
precious sets, won at auction at Christie's of New York. >

< Fecal tongs produced by Health Canada for use in that country's
nursing homes. These differ from their American counterparts in that they're
meant to be used for a week before being discarded. Nursing homes are
great tong hunt stops, and the Great White North has no shortage. >

< These Haitian tongs are manufactured primarily for the tourist market.
Real Haitian voodoo fecal tongs would be manufactured out of human bone,
orange wood, and tree snail shells. Needless to say, those are hard to
come by for outsiders like me. >

< Another cherished pair. These were once carried across the plains
of North America by a pioneer family whose identity and tong needs can
only be guessed at. I found these at Country Corner Pawn in Carson City,
Nevada. >